A new policy implemented by the Meuchedet health fund is causing consternation amongst English speakers in Israel. The new policy requires all online correspondence with doctors — including the submission of medication names — to be written exclusively in Hebrew. This change, reportedly introduced as a directive from Israel’s Ministry of Health, has sparked concern among English-speaking olim, whose Hebrew is often limited. It has also raised broader health and safety issues.
Efforts to Reverse the Policy
After unsuccessfully reaching out to Meuchedet officials for clarification and resolution, Chaim V’Chessed, the NGO which assists the integration of English speakers in Israel, escalated the issue to senior government officials. The organization submitted formal appeals to Minister of Health Ariel Busso, Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofer Sofer and MK Yoni Mashriki, Chairman of the Knesset Health Committee
In a letter to the Minister of Health, Chaim V’Chessed CEO Paysach Freedman emphasized the hardships the policy creates, especially for English-speaking olim, and called for urgent intervention. The organization stressed that many olim rely on the ability to communicate in English when interacting with healthcare providers.
“A Dangerous Policy for All Users”
While this policy disproportionately affects English-speaking olim, Freedman warned that it poses risks even for native Hebrew speakers. Misidentifying a medication due to spelling errors or unfamiliarity with Hebrew transliterations could lead to serious medical mistakes, he avered.
“Requiring all users to write the names of medications in Hebrew increases the chance of mistakes in identifying the correct medication,” Freedman wrote in his appeal. “This is not merely an inconvenience — it could pose a real danger to patients’ health.”
Call for Urgent Action
Chaim V’Chessed is urging government officials to intervene and revoke the restrictive language requirement. The organization argues that Meuchedet’s online platform should remain accessible in multiple languages to accommodate the diverse population it serves.
“We view this as a deeply problematic step,” Chaim V’Chessed stated. “As an organization committed to easing the integration process for olim, we request immediate intervention to remove this restriction and ensure the system remains accessible and safe for all members of the community.” Furthermore, Chaim V’Chessed has learned that Arabic speakers, too, are dismayed at the new rule, which causes them difficulty, as well.
Chaim V’Chessed will continue to advocate for the reversal of the onerous new requirement. The organization hopes to collaborate with relevant authorities to quickly resolve the issue.
[Press Release]
how is it people who went to yeshiva cant write in Hebrew? I went to Yeshiva of Flatbush and can speak and write perfectly and my parents are Americans.
Trust me, medical terms are a whole other language.
English Speaking Israeli Citizen Abandoned By His Doctor After Mistakingly Requesting The Doctor “La’azov” (To Leave) Instead of “La’azor” (To Help)
An Israeli physician abandoned his English speaking patient on Monday after the latter wrote an urgent online message to the doctor in Hebrew, and mistakingly requested of him “לעזוב” (to ‘leave me’), instead of “לעזור” (to help me).
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I mixed up the letter (ר) with the letter (ב),” Samuel Braunenberg, the dejected patient – who became an Israeli citizen just two weeks ago – told reporters on Tuesday. “And much to my dismay, Dr. Uziel sends me an official correspondence telling me that, upon my request, he is officially dismissing himself as my personal physician (and surgeon). Unbelievable! Can I help it if my Hebrew isn’t perfect?!”
“Ultimately, I had to remove my appendix on my own,” Mr. Braunenberg went on to say, “with an old, rusty scalpel, and with no anesthetic to boot!”
“Hopefully, the Israeli government will change the new law and allow me to correspond online with my physicians in English,” Mr. Braunenstein said, “otherwise, the next time one of my internal organs acts up on me, I’ll have no choice but to contact the doctors the old fashioned way, via the telephone service.”